Being assigned head official at a youth tournament usually means you have extra responsibility, with no extra compensation. Here are some tips that should make your life easier.
Meet with the officials as they arrive. Meet with the wrestlers about 30 minutes before the competition starts, and the coaches right after.
In the officials meeting make sure you have the mats covered, and any possible rotations set up.
In the wrestlers meeting cover the following.
At Beginners.
Starting positions.
Locked hands.
Full Nelsons.
At Middle School Duals.
The pre-meet disc toss, and meeting.
At all
Aggressively trying to score in the ten foot circle at all times.
Report to the table three matches ahead of your bout.
Sportsmanship.
Special equipment. Any special equipment must be approved by the head official and includes shirts under singlets.
Report to the table 100% ready to wrestle, including secured laces.
Give them a chance to ask you questions.
Have the rest of the officials do a nail and visible skin check while you meet with the coaches.
Coaches meeting.
Ensure the coaches that the crew of officials is strong.
Ask them to coach the wrestlers, not the officials.
ensure them of the right to ask for a time out any time there is a break in the action.
For the time outs, let them know that if they question a judgment call and it is not a misapplication of the rules that they will be charged with coaches misconduct. If it is a misapplication of a rule the score will be changed.
Ask them not to distract the officials by yelling at the officials from the corner. distracting an official during a match to the point that they can not concentrate on the match in front of them is just not fair to the wrestlers, and is unsportsmanlike.
If there is a dispute, enforce the rules as they are written to the best of your ability. Settle disputes as quickly and correctly as possible. Remeber there is always somebody waiting to wrestle.
Good luck, and don't be nervous about the extra responsibility. The majority of the time you will just be officiating matches.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
It's a small world.
This weekend I worked A GHSA Area Dual tournament on Saturday, and a beginners tournament on Sunday.
Saturday one of the light weight wrestlers from my High School wrestling team was coaching a team in the consolation semi-finals. I was calling that match, and he rode me pretty hard. We are supposed to do our best to ignore the coaches talking to us as a match goes on, but it is not easy. Once a coach starts saying something repeatedly, it is distracting, and breaks my concentration. If I can not concentrate on the match in front of me, I can not do my job. This behavior by a coach is unsportsmanlike, and I finally stopped the match, and told him he was distracting me, and it was unsportsmanlike. I did not make the official call which would have cost him a Team Point. After the dual I watched the finals with my old team mate, and we discussed ideas for possible rules changes, and how to make Georgia wrestling better. As an official, we do not take the coaches riding us personally, but we do try to stop them so that we can be more effective.
Sunday at the beginners tournament, I was working the 6U mat. I really enjoy working with the little guys, but it is physically demanding. My quads are sore today from spending so much time up and down off the mat. As I was waiting for the next match, I here someone from the stands above me calling out something, and I usually don't look, but it happened to be the Heavyweight from my High School wrestling team. He did not have a wrestler on my mat, but made sure he came over to give me a hard time anyway.
Once wrestling is in your blood, it is hard to get away from it. Three old men from my High School days are still involved, and I am sure there are many more.
Rules tip!!!
This one seems to sneak up on people, and I did not learn it till I was an official. Once you have control, you can not lock hands around two legs. It is locked hands. I saw this in the finals of the Area Dual tournament I was at. It is a common mistake, and one of those rules that people tend to be surprised by.
Saturday one of the light weight wrestlers from my High School wrestling team was coaching a team in the consolation semi-finals. I was calling that match, and he rode me pretty hard. We are supposed to do our best to ignore the coaches talking to us as a match goes on, but it is not easy. Once a coach starts saying something repeatedly, it is distracting, and breaks my concentration. If I can not concentrate on the match in front of me, I can not do my job. This behavior by a coach is unsportsmanlike, and I finally stopped the match, and told him he was distracting me, and it was unsportsmanlike. I did not make the official call which would have cost him a Team Point. After the dual I watched the finals with my old team mate, and we discussed ideas for possible rules changes, and how to make Georgia wrestling better. As an official, we do not take the coaches riding us personally, but we do try to stop them so that we can be more effective.
Sunday at the beginners tournament, I was working the 6U mat. I really enjoy working with the little guys, but it is physically demanding. My quads are sore today from spending so much time up and down off the mat. As I was waiting for the next match, I here someone from the stands above me calling out something, and I usually don't look, but it happened to be the Heavyweight from my High School wrestling team. He did not have a wrestler on my mat, but made sure he came over to give me a hard time anyway.
Once wrestling is in your blood, it is hard to get away from it. Three old men from my High School days are still involved, and I am sure there are many more.
Rules tip!!!
This one seems to sneak up on people, and I did not learn it till I was an official. Once you have control, you can not lock hands around two legs. It is locked hands. I saw this in the finals of the Area Dual tournament I was at. It is a common mistake, and one of those rules that people tend to be surprised by.
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